Finn 2
by Tensleep
Summary: Life continues on for the gang four years after the church fire, and life has settled down. But change, as they say, is the only constant.
1. A Vacation

Well, 6 years ago today, I posted my fist story – Finn. It seems fitting the sequel should be on the same day.

Dedication: For Finn's biggest fan, Zickachik.

Disclaimer: The usual

On with the shoe...

Chapter 1 – A Vacation

July 1970

Darry's POV

Every morning there were typical routines in our house, and over the last four years, they had become as natural as breathing. But vacations seemed to always throw them off. Not that I was complaining about laying about in bed at nine on a Monday morning, but I did feel a bit guilty about leaving Layne to the quiet house downstairs.

All in all, it looked like I was just killing time by pretending to sleep in. Apparently the dog felt the same way. Suddenly, there was a wet nose pushed against my left ear, and a slippery tongue all over my cheek. Lord, I hated that dog. All the things I thought were cute when he was a puppy were now just irritating.

"Choc!" I growled, shoving the excitable thing as far away as my arms would reach. At least he didn't jump on the bed anymore.

A happy bark was my only reply. I sighed. He never bothered anyone else when they were sleeping. Layne always said it was because he liked me. I thought it was because he had a death wish.

Grumpily, I shoved myself up, and threw my legs over the side of the bed. The dog was still sitting there, tail wagging, and tongue lolling out of his mouth like it was going out of style.

"Go find Layne," I told him, but he didn't move. "Go find Soda..." Still nothing. "Fine. Who's here?"

That got an excited bark, and Choc was nearly tripping over himself as he ran out of the room. The way he thundered down the stairs to get to the front door was usually what kept me from sleeping in these days. The resounding thud that followed the slip and slide the hound did over the loose carpet, crashing right into the front door made me shake my head. When we picked out the house, we really should have thought more about the dog. I had to constantly remind myself that the only reason why we still had the dog was because Ponyboy and Aries were attached to him. I threw my legs over the side of the bed, and couldn't help the silly grin I'd been wearing all summer.

Graduates. They'd both passed high school with flying colors, and now they were graduates. I could believe it, but it still made me smile every time I thought about it. What's more was that they both had scholarships. To be honest, that was the only way they were going to College. I may have made more money now, but Layne was still at The Dingo, and between the two of us, even with Soda chipping in, we couldn't support both of them at school. Pony was headed to Oklahoma State just down in Edmond. He'd been offered scholarships to some schools in Kansas and Texas, but he didn't want to be too far away. I was grateful for that, especially when Aries had offers from schools nowhere near home because of his last name. He was still keeping Stanford and Harvard waiting for his reply. I had the feeling he and Ponyboy would be happier together, but the kid was desperate to get out of Oklahoma. Thus the post graduation vacation.

I stretched my way out of bed and into the bathroom. I picked up my toothbrush, looking for the paste. Things were much easier to find in the bathroom with only Layne and me here for the past few weeks. As soon as the boys had graduated, Layne's eldest brother, Rock, had invited them to stay with him in New York for a month. I'd been against the idea, but Layne had fully agreed with it and talked me into it, arguing that they needed to have a vacation before college. It did seem only fair, seeing as how they had been in school for eleven years and were both looking at least four more before they finally got out into the world. They took off a week after graduation and would be back just before Ponyboy's eighteenth birthday. He would finally be an adult and my guardianship would officially be over. It was a strange feeling to have. Layne said it was a good feeling, that it was an accomplishment, but on Aries' birthday she had been distracted and glum all day, fidgeting from one thing to another. I had the feeling she felt more helpless than she had made out to be. The boys had to grow up, though, and this month away was eye opening in that respect. I had to admit that even though I missed having them around, it had been nice to have the house to ourselves. I hadn't felt so relaxed since before I turned sixteen and figured out a summer job could become an after school and weekend job, on top of helping out my parents, taking care of my kid brothers, and getting good marks. It was nice to just pick one thing and stick to it for once.

That didn't mean I wasn't looking forward to a month of the boys being home before they went to school. And even after they left, Soda and Steve would still be here. They had an apartment, but that didn't stop them from showing up almost every morning for breakfast, and dinners on the weekend. The only thing we had to worry about was Two-Bit wandering around at odd hours. The open door policy was still something he was willing to wander half way across town for, and often we woke up to find he had already raided whatever leftovers were in the fridge. He was still living in the old neighbourhood with his mom and kid sister, but I suspected he would ask to move in with Soda and Steve as soon as Katie was old enough to go to college. She was only a year or so younger than Pony, so it wouldn't be long now.

Then what were Layne and I going to do with ourselves? Get married? Have kids? I shook my head and rinsed my mouth out. That wasn't working out very well for Sevrin and Dallas. They had Charlie before they got married, but now that they were married, the pair of them fought all the time and Dallas crashed at Steve and Soda's place often. I knew we weren't Dallas and Sevrin, but the last thing I wanted was to change things between Layne and me.

I assumed Layne felt the same way, because it had been before Johnny died back in '66 that either of us had even brought up an actual wedding. I figured after four years of living together, we should have just been classified as married. One day, the state would get it right.

I hummed to myself absently, a bad habit I had picked up from Layne, and made my way downstairs. The radio in the kitchen was down low and I could hear Layne singing along softly. I smiled and walked in, watching as she worked at the stove on breakfast. From the looks of things, it was just the pair of us.

"Morning, Darry," Layne greeted, glancing over her shoulder at me.

"Morning," I replied, walking into the kitchen to kiss her.

She smiled into it, tasting like orange juice. I kind of winced, since the taste clashed horribly with my toothpaste.

Layne hadn't changed at all in the four years that I had known her. Her hair was still long and dark red, her blue jeans were usually faded and torn beyond repair before she bothered with new ones, and she still took care of everyone.

"So, I take it you got tired of trying to fake that you were sleeping," she guessed, and I nodded.

"There's something about lying around in bed that just makes me feel..."

"Lazy. Yes, I know. Here, try this," she ordered when we'd pulled away.

"What is it?" I asked, eyeing the orange slop in the saucepan she was working on.

"Rarebit," she replied, holding the spoon out. "Just try it for me, please?"

I sighed and opened my mouth obediently, which caused her to smirk. Over the past few years, Layne had been exchanging recipes with Mike through the mail. I had to admit, her cooking had improved, but every once in a while they tried something that I wasn't overly fond of.

And orange goop called 'Rabbit' looked like it would be one of those.

However, I was mildly surprised when the goop tasted like a tangy cheese sauce instead of carrots puréed into slop.

"That's not half bad," I complimented and she smiled.

"Then I'm happy," she replied. "Go sit down and I'll serve it up."

"How do you eat it?" I asked, doing as I was told.

"Well, on toast of course," she replied. "I think it said toast, anyway."

Layne spun around the kitchen, putting toast on a plate and working to get her rabbit goop into a bowl. By the time she was ready to sit down; there was enough food on the table for four. She was used to cooking for four, so it wasn't that surprising that she had cooked so much. Still, we usually had a lot of food for whoever stopped in.

"So I talked to both Kathie and Josie this morning. They've both gallantly volunteered to take both Sev's shift and mine the night the boys get in."

They'd be home in just another week, so Layne had put off asking until now just in case they chose to stay longer or so that her co-workers wouldn't forget. I wasn't sure which was her tactic, but that wasn't the point.

"Planning on cooking a welcome back dinner?" I asked.

"One that will have them sorely missing me when they go off to school," she assured me. "So they'll be coming back home often to get it."

I nodded. I wasn't so sure it would work, but I was willing to let her try. She wanted them home every opportunity she could get them back here. As it was, I think I was the only one around here who had planned only for holiday visits from the boys. If they were just an hour south in Edmond, it wouldn't be a terrible drive, but Pony's car wasted gas worse than either of our trucks and we couldn't afford that.

We ate the food in silence, listening to the radio and enjoying the quiet, because these moments were always few and far between. I was about to comment on just how nice it was when Soda's car pulled up out front. You could tell it was Soda's because he was the only one whose breaks squeaked along to the music that was always pouring out of the speakers.

"Well, I guess everyone in the neighbourhood is awake now," Layne commented, getting up to set two more plates on the table.

I shook my head and watched as both Soda and Steve came in through the kitchen door.

Aside from looking more grown up, Soda and Steve hadn't changed that much, either. They were living on their own and they were trying to get enough money together to buy into the DX or to set up a similar operation closer to our side of town, but it would take time. They would be good at running their own business, as long as they brought Layne their books every few months so that she could make sure they were correct.

"Hey, Layne," Soda greeted, giving her a hug, as if they hadn't just seen each other two days ago.

"Hey, goofball," she greeted affectionately.

"Morning, Darry," Steve chimed in, flopping down at the table and loading up his plate without any hesitation.

"Hey Dar." Soda smiled. "I thought you'd still be sleeping."

"You know your brother. Well, help yourself, Soda," Layne directed, putting our plates into the sink.

"Man, this is good," Steve groaned around a bite. "Mike must have cooked this."

"Ha ha," Layne replied, handing Steve a napkin.

"Have you heard from Mike lately?" Soda asked, sitting down and loading up his plate as well.

"Not since last month. He sent me this recipe," Layne added. "So far, they're still patching up after that hurricane."

And those were the perils of opening up a bar on the beach right on the Gulf of Mexico. Mike seemed to like being there, which was well above just tolerating Tulsa, so I didn't comment on how he deserved the repairs for picking the spot.

"Hurricanes. I think I'd rather have those than Tornados," Steve offered and Layne shook her head.

"Not once in the four years that I have lived here has there been a tornado anywhere near Tulsa," she commented, pouring coffee for the three of us, since Soda never did like the stuff. "So, what's the plan for today?"

"Steve and me are gonna help Darry fix the back deck," Soda supplied.

It was closer to 'replacing' the back deck. Some of the wood was coming up and the dog had caught his foot on a good splinter a few days ago. I also wanted to make it bigger, so that it went right along the whole backside of the house instead of stopping where the kitchen windows did. It seemed rather stupid to have it just that big when we were wasting room along the back we wouldn't be using for anything else. So I thought my time off would be best spent making sure that the deck was back up to snuff. Seeing as how Steve and Soda had the day off, I had asked them to come over and help, figuring that if we got a lot done today, Layne and I could finish on our own. I'd told her all that last night, she just liked asking questions.

"Good. Think it'll be done by the time the boys get home?"

"Why? You wanna have the welcome back party on it?" Soda asked, looking like he thought that was a great idea. I wasn't sure if it was the party or deck part of the idea, though.

For going on twenty one, Soda still acted like he was seventeen. It was mostly the energy he constantly had.

"I was thinking more like a welcome back dinner than a party, but having it outside would be nice." Layne shrugged.

"Did you invite Dallas and Two-Bit over to help, too?" Soda asked and I shook my head.

"Dallas is working and Two-Bit's been near impossible to get a hold of."

"So naturally, they'll probably be showing up anyways," Steve surmised.

"Yep," I agreed, looking around the table. "Has the newspaper come yet?"

"Yes. Then Choc may have gotten a hold of it," Layne offered with an apologetic smile.

"Again?" I asked, casting the dog an annoyed glance.

"Look at it this way, Dar – at least you didn't have to read any bad news." Steve shrugged, popping another piece of food in his mouth.

I gave him an even look before swallowing the rest of my coffee and getting up to go and finish getting dressed. The dog had never once done anything to his things, so I couldn't expect him to understand. By the time I came down, the boys were out back playing with Choc and Layne was washing dishes with a faraway look to her. I went over so I could wrap my arms around her waist and perch my chin on her shoulder.

She sighed after a long minute and put a damp hand over my arm.

"I don't know how I'm going to do this when they go off to school," she told me and I hummed for her to go on. "The quiet."

I nodded. I liked the house quiet, but Layne thrived off of the normal ruckus around here. She thought it made the place feel alive. All I had to do was listen to the dog slide around for an hour and I knew the place was alive, but I also knew what she meant.

"Just think – graduates. And in another four years – college graduates. It'll make it worth it," I assured her and she smiled a little. "Besides, we do have the dog still."

"You hate that dog!" she reminded and I shrugged.

"Yeah, but he keeps the place moving."

She shook her head, going back to the dishes, but I still held on, figuring that she wasn't all the way done. So when she sighed again, I knew she'd continue on.

"I guess I'm getting homesick for them," she dismissed. "A month in New York is far too long."

She was probably right that she was getting home sick for the boys. Every time we talked to Pony, they had something new and exciting going on. If I had been in their position, I wouldn't have wanted to come home, either.

"I miss them, too," I told her.

"Wonder what they're doing right now," she mused.

I glanced out the window at where Soda and Steve were being chased by the dog so they were literally climbing on top of the pile of two by fours I'd bought for the deck. Great. They were going to break their fool necks.

"Whatever they're doing, at least they're probably getting the chance to relax," I pointed out, kissing her cheek and moving to go out there and settle things down.

Secretly, I had to agree with her. As much as I liked the quiet around the house, I honestly didn't know what I was going to do with myself if things settled down too much around here. I had the feeling I wouldn't have to worry about that with the boys and Choc hanging around, but if there was one thing my life had taught me, it was that you never said never.

* * *

Well, one chapter down!

Any comments at all are welcome and flames accepted.

See ya in the Funny Papers!!!

Tens


	2. Far, Far Away

Hey all. As you may have noticed, I've been away from the writing desk for a while. My apologies, life has been pretty hard lately. So this is a jump back in. If you find yourself not liking this chapter, at least read the next one, as it is more business as usual, I suppose. Thanks to those who showed an interest in this last year. Hope the wait hasn't put you off.

Disclaimer: The usual.

On with the show.

Pony's POV

"Alright! Rise and Shine! Out of bed."

I blinked awake, more than used to Will Reilly's wake up calls by now. He seemed to get great joy out of waking us up every morning with a bright smile and loud tones. Next, he always pulled blankets away as he worked across the room to open up the blinds to the east morning light. Still, every morning it seemed to be a surprise to Rye, who groaned loudly from where he was shifting in the hammock.

"Don't groan at me," Will chided lightly, patting Rye's head. "You're missing out on the day! It's nearly noon already."

Usually "nearly noon" was closer to nine than noon, but when you were up before six every morning, it would seem like noon. I sighed and sat up, yawning for a long moment before stretching. I glanced at where Will was making his way from the room, even though Aries and Rye had yet to move.

When Rock, Layne, and Darry had sat down to set up this vacation, it had come to their attention that there was not going to be enough room for us to stay in Rock's single bedroom apartment comfortably. Will Reilly was his best friend, as well as gang second in command, so it was an easy enough arrangement for the pair of us to sleep across the hall there. At the time, Rye – Will's youngest brother – was supposed to be staying with their other brother, Joe. Plans changed just before we got here, and that extra person made for close quarters, but we made it work.

Like the bedroom. Rye was in the hammock that hung low over the bed. I would have been claustrophobic, if I had been the one sleeping on the bed, but Aries seemed to like the confined position if his deep sleeping was anything to go by. That left me the cot by the window, and I thought it was the best place to sleep in the room.

I sighed and kicked my feet over the side of the bed, figuring that it was time to get up and going for the day. Rye glanced over at me, and shifted so that he was on his side, watching me as I stood and stretched.

"You goin' on a run this morning?" He yawned.

"Yeah," I replied.

Every morning, Aries and I managed to get out and take a run around the neighbourhood. The first few days that we had been in the city, Rock and Will had accompanied us everywhere. It was for protection, I was sure. Rock ran a gang on the west side of the city that was both prominent and feared. I didn't think anyone would ever take a hit at Rock, but Will was his shadow, regardless. To have the pair of them run with us made me feel like we were part of some army, like we were part of Rock's gang, even though we would only be there for a few weeks. It had the effect of letting everyone know who we belonged to, and now we just ran on our own without incident.

"Well, good luck with that," Rye offered, turning back over.

Rye was like a cat. Every way he moved was naturally feline. He wasn't the kind of guy who did much, but he still was fit and ready to spring into action every time he had to move. But mainly, it was times like this when he had one hand thrown over the side of the hammock that he was most cat like.

I glanced down at Aries and sighed. He was more like a dog.

I shook his shoulder slightly and watched as he blinked and rubbed his nose into the pillow instead of getting up. He was like that every morning. I shook his shoulder again and watched as he opened an eye, looking at me like I had done something mean to him.

"Wanna go running?" I asked and he nodded, sitting up just enough so he was shy of hitting Rye with his head.

"Time'sit?" he asked and I shrugged.

"Probably nine," I replied, tugging a shirt on, and leaving the room.

The apartment was set up well. Rye's room was right beside Will's. Across the hall was the bathroom, and down the hall was the main room and the kitchen. I liked it, but I couldn't imagine trying to fit the four of us in there, let alone all our friends. The kitchen would have made Layne happy, though. It was big and open, and there was a table that was huge enough to fit enough food to feed all of us – something Layne always complained took up all her counter space.

Will Reilly was standing at the stove, frying eggs, and cooking toast like he did every day. He wouldn't last long in our house. Darry didn't like anything more than toast and coffee for breakfast on week days, and Layne agreed with him. Will had the philosophy that if he cooked it, it had to be worth his while to eat it. I still hadn't gotten used to eating before a run, though, and neither had Aries, so he was only cooking for Rye and himself. The smell of bacon usually was the best way to get Rye moving before noon hit.

I'd really gotten to know everyone well since we's been here.

I sat down at the table anyways, reaching for the glass of juice waiting there for me. Will turned from the stove and smiled a little, dumping food onto plates as neatly as possible.

"Only another week in our fair city," he commented, bringing up the countdown every day like he was keeping a personal tally.

"Yeah," I replied, taking a sip of the juice.

"Any plans for what else you want to do during the week?" He asked and I shrugged a little.

During our time in New York, we had been all over the city. We had seen the Statue of Liberty, we had been to Coney Island, we had been to all the different museums, and art displays around the city, until we had run out of things to do. For the last week, we had done very little beyond hanging out in the park and going to work with Will. He worked with Rock as a property broker. I didn't quite understand what he did, but it had something to do with selling property to places for parking space. With how crazy it was for cars here in the city, I could imagine that there was a need for places where you could just put your cars.

When we didn't go to work with Will and Rock, we had the option of going to work with one of Aries' other brothers. Tatton was the District Attorney. He constantly took on cases that were all very high profile or full of people who were yelling and screaming at each other. I thought it was interesting to come and watch, but it was definitely not the job for me. Aries seemed to be put off by it, too. He made Perry Mason look tame.

Tell was the one with the worst job, in my opinion. He worked as a doctor at King's County Hospital. Usually when we went with him, it was on his clinic days when he worked on files and took appointments. The last time we were there, he had been called into an emergency room shift because of a bad accident. It was insanity, pure and simple, with Doctor Tell in the middle of it all, acting like it wasn't bothering him in the slightest. I didn't think I could ever stomach the smell of blood after that again.

The best time we'd had going to work with one of Aries' brothers was when we went with West. He was a boxer by trade, which meant that when we went to work with him, it was to the gym where he goofed off until it was time to get in the ring and act like he was actually a professional. He was powerful – I remembered that from when he had fought in Tulsa four years ago, but to see him actually in a structured fight was something else entirely.

Today, I was hoping we would just have the opportunity to hang out with Rye. He was aspiring to be an artist, and we usually ended up hanging around and painting with him. Aries didn't think much of the painting, but he usually enjoyed the time to sit and work on his physics. He had yet to tell Darry and Layne, but he was leaning towards Harvard for their Physics program.

I wanted to sigh every time I thought about that. Until this summer, I had thought there was some way to get him to come to Edmond with me. But he had a passion for numbers, and it was probably for the best that he followed that. I had seen what happened to people who had to give up their dreams. Sometimes it worked out, like how it worked out for Darry. But with Aries...I guess I always knew that he wouldn't be able to stay in somewhere as slow as Oklahoma forever.

"Ponyboy?" Will prompted, and I shook myself from my thoughts.

"I think today Rye was planning on showing me how to work with dots," I replied and Will nodded.

"Well, try to get out and enjoy the sunshine at some point, alright?"

I nodded, looking up as Aries came from the bedroom, moving towards the table, and looking as composed as if he had been up for hours. The cowlick on top of his head ruined that illusion.

"Morning," Aries offered, sitting down beside me at the table. "It looks like a nice morning for a run."

"Yes, it does," Will sighed. "Too bad some of us have to work to keep you all fed and happy."

Aries glanced at the plate beside him, making a face at the food. I guess fed and happy went together.

Rye stumbled out a moment later, still full of sleepy feline grace. He sat down at the table and had his mouth full a moment later, looking for all the world like he was starving.

"Please, try to chew," Will sighed, looking amused as Rye wolfed his food down.

"I am chewing," he replied, gulping down some juice to force the food down.

Aries and I watched for a full minute, before we both got up to get dressed into something that was good for running. We were out the door a few minutes later. The gang didn't live close to anything green, but that didn't mean there wasn't scenery. The buildings and the people on the streets were all part of the view.

Aries was the first to push the pace, always hitting his stride after only a few minutes. I lagged a bit, but soon we were running side by side, avoiding people on the sidewalk, and pausing for the odd car or intersection. By the time we had been running for half an hour, we decided to loop back. It was getting to the point where we were both getting tired and hungry.

When we walked back into the building, both Aries and I were sweating. The heat in New York was less than in Oklahoma, but it was a wet heat that pushed down on you like nothing else.

Aries sighed, leaning against the wall as we waited for the elevator.

"The humidity is still killing me," he offered, and I smirked a little.

"Well, I'm sure you'll get used to it."

"Eventually," he concurred, stepping onto the waiting elevator. "Until then, I will curse the day I ever stepped foot in Oklahoma."

I nodded. He had been on about how Oklahoma had ruined him for a few days now. I think he was trying to convince himself that he wasn't homesick. I sure was. I called home every couple days because of it. Aries hadn't talked to Layne once. I knew that was hard on both of them, but at the end of the summer, it was going to get that much harder with Aries going to Harvard.

When the elevator dinged, we nearly walked into the serious face of Tatton. He nodded in greeting, reading something on the folded newspaper in his hand.

"Never invest in anything as problematic as Oranges, Coffee, or Cotton," he advised, stepping around us onto the elevator.

"Only if you can't manage probability," Aries replied, stepping off the elevator behind me. "Why're you here?"

"Why do you think?" he asked as the doors closed.

There was one answer to that - Justice and Law. Tatton was the DA, but he was also a father to twin nearly- three year old boys. Sometimes, it was hard for him to find someone to watch the boys, so his head babysitter in those situations was Rye.

When we walked into the apartment, the twins were sitting at the kitchen table, eating eggs and drinking juice. They both looked up and smiled.

"Unk Aries!" They called, waving their spoons. "Pinny!"

I still wasn't sure what to make out of being called 'Pinny' but it could have been worse.

The twins were one of the parts of New York I had never expected. In my life, there was only ever Charlie, and that was all the interaction I had with little kids. This summer changed that for me.

Justice and Law were a lot like Tatton and Tell because they were both so different from each other. The way Tatton described it was that Law was predictable, and Justice was not. That was why I wasn't surprised when Law hopped down from his spot on his chair and came straight over to Aries. He wrapped his arms around his legs and stepped onto Aries' shoes, fully expecting that his uncle would walk around the room like that.

I watched as Aries ruffled his blonde hair, and rested a hand on the small boy's shoulder as he started moving across the room with delighted giggles following after him. I sat down at the table beside where Rye was busy drawing a picture with a blue crayon, and Justice was placidly eating his toast. Aries hoisted the other little boy from his legs, and tossed him into the air before setting him down beside his brother, and disappearing down the hall.

"Now, see, this is a Pony," Rye said, showing Justice the picture he had been drawing. "And so is that."

I shook my head when he pointed at me. He had been trying really hard to get the two little boys to say my name properly.

"No!" Justice shook his head. "He's a boy!"

Rye glanced over at me and shrugged. He wasn't about to correct that.

"Hungry?" Rye asked and I nodded. "Will left you guys food under the plates over there. Better get it while it's warm."

I nodded again, getting up and helping myself to a plate. For being one god-awful morning person, Will sure could cook like no one else.

Aries came back and sat down with his own breakfast, picking at it as unenthusiastically as he always did. Rye spied him from under his long, sandy brown bangs, and looked back at his new drawing carefully.

"Layne called while you were out," he commented and Aries sighed.

"I know, I should call her. I know, I have been a jerk for not talking to her, and I know what you think of that. Can we please drop it?"

Rye sighed. "I'm on your side, man. I know it is going to be rough going to college if you can't get through a summer without her."

Still, I really thought he should have talked to her, but Aries wasn't wired that way. For him, any connection made it too hard. Cold turkey was just easier on him. And if my family was anything like his, I would be that way, too.

"Unk Aries?" Justice asked from across the table.

"Yeah?" Aries asked tiredly.

"We go park today?" He asked in his innocent little kid voice.

Aries sighed, running a hand through his hair and nodded.

"Yeah, we'll go to the park today."

I sighed a little. Well, it looked like our quiet day at home was turning into anything but. But that was alright with me. In another week, we'd be home again. I'd soak up all the park time I could get between now and then.

The front door opened again, and I wasn't surprised to see both Will and Rock wander into the room, arguing about something. They were always arguing over something, but that was probably what made them such great business partners.

"I just think that if you move the couch back where it was, you'll have more room," Will commented.

"But with the way it is, I fit in both end tables," Rock pointed out, looking over at us. "Good morning boys."

"Unk Rock!" Justice waved.

Rock frowned a little, just like he did every morning he was greeted that way. But he waved dutifully and the boys were happy with that.

"But what good are the end tables if you are tripping over them all the time?" Will reasoned.

"I don't trip over them."

"But I do," Will argued back, pouring them each a cup of coffee.

"It's my couch."

"Fine," Will offered, taking a sip of coffee. "But don't complain if I never come to visit."

"You live across the hall."

Rock rolled his eyes a little, taking a sip of his own cup. That was usually how a lot of their arguments ended. They reminded me of people who were dating. Will was like the tiffy girl friend, and Rock was the boy friend who always just rolled his eyes. It was kind of...sad.

"The kids are going to the park today," Will declared and Rock nodded. "So you and I don't have to worry about them."

"I worry regardless," he replied, not caring who heard him.

"You should be worried abbat the Henderson contract," Will offered with his Irish lilt coming out a bit.

"Bill Henderson thinks I'll stab him if he doesn't do what I say."

I glanced over at Rye and Aries, and wondered if they were the only ones who didn't worry about Rock stabbing them if they caused him grief. While he was a nice enough guy, I had heard the stories about him, and I had seen the way he handled a kitchen knife. It was enough to keep me on my toes.

Aries sighed, giving up on his breakfast, and getting up to put his plate in the sink, even though his brother gave him a look for leaving most of his food on the plate.

"You better be more enthusiastic for dinner," Rock warned, and Aries sighed like he did every time his brother warned him like that. "I'm serious. If Laynie comes down on anyone, it's going to be all on you, kiddo."

Aries nodded and headed down the hall. We heard the shower a moment later and Rock picked up the morning paper.

"Says here they're still working on the bridge. We'd better take Queens."

"It'll be tied up," Will sighed, moving around the room to grab his coat.

Rock nodded, tucking the paper under his elbow, and turning his attention to the table.

"You boys behave for Pony and your uncles, got me?" Rock asked, causing both boys to nod in unison.

"And your uncles better behave in return," Will directed, tapping Rye on the back of the head.

Rye just shrugged. "That's why you're sending me with two babysitters of my own."

Will grinned and shrugged when he looked over at me. I smiled a little in return, mostly to rub at Rye. Yeah, I could already tell it was going to be an interesting day.

* * *

Any comments are welcome and flames are accepted.

See ya in the funny papers!

Tens


	3. Sounds Like Home

And moving right along to chapter three...

Disclaimer: The usual.

Layne's POV

The bus station was crowded with people when we found a place to stand and wait for the buses to come in. There were two that had come in since we'd been there, but neither had been carrying the boys. I was getting antsy by the time the third one came into view.

Darry just stood beside me the whole time, trying to be calm, but throwing off excited waves. If it wasn't for the fact Soda was bouncing on the balls of his feet, and literally jumping all over Steve when he thought he saw the bus coming, I would have said Darry was the most excited to see the boys come home.

For his part, Steve was putting up with Soda, and feeding off his energy. Two-Bit was even standing with us, looking like he wasn't doing anything out of the ordinary by waiting for a bus. For all I knew, this was perfectly ordinary for him. Sometimes, I wished I could have his adventures for one day. Dallas and Sevrin hadn't come. Instead, they were back at the house with Charlie to make sure the food got put out – which it should have been by now. I thought it was probably a good thing they had chosen to stay with Charlie. Things were far too busy for him to be underfoot, especially with the large buses passing by so close to where we were standing.

"You think this is the one?" I asked Darry, watching as the third bus rolled to a stop not far away.

"Well, there's only one way to tell," he offered, craning his neck to get a better look through the windows of the bus.

I knew he was right, but I couldn't help asking. I hadn't had the chance to talk to Aries since he left and I was anxious to see him. I had spoken with Pony every time we called, but I was still anxious to see him, too. I had been in New York. I know what it did to people. It would be good to have both of them in my sight again.

That settled it. The next time I got the bright idea to let them go anywhere, I was going to remember how hard it was to have the pair of them gone this time.

The bus settled and the engine cut off before the doors opened, and people started to pile off the bus. Two-Bit craned his neck a little and smirked.

"Why, I do believe this is the pumpkin bringing home Cinderella."

"You think you're funny," Steve huffed, shaking his head.

"Correction, my dear Steven - I know I'm funny," Two-Bit assured him.

"Pony!" Soda yelped, maneuvering his way to the bus.

Darry and I followed, seeing that Soda had Pony in a bear hug when we came over. They both looked happy to see each other again, and it brought a smile to my face. Darry reached out to hug his brother and ruffle his hair before I finally got my chance to wrap my arms around Ponyboy. He didn't feel any different, and I grinned at him.

"Well, I see Will fed you up right."

Pony grinned. "Yeah, he really did. Not like home, but good all the same."

"Well, now you're home," Darry declared.

"Where's Aries?" Soda asked, still pressed as close to Pony as possible.

"Still on the bus," Pony offered with a shrug.

I frowned, making my way towards the door as I heard Two-Bit loudly greet Pony. I nearly walked smack into my little brother. I wasn't going to be able to call him little anymore. He was taller than me by a few inches now, and he was filling out through the shoulders, even though he was still thin. He looked even thinner than when I had seen him last. Had Rock even fed him?

Before I could say anything, my brother had me in a tight hug, his forehead buried in the crook of my neck. I hugged him back, having missed this. See, even with the rest of the boys around, it wasn't the same as hugging the one person in the world you could take credit for raising into adulthood.

When he pulled back, he looked terribly anxious, and I smiled at him, placing a hand on his cheek.

"Oh, I missed you," I told him, watching guilt shine in his eyes. "You have no idea how quiet it has been without you."

"Layne, I –" he started, but I continued on.

"But you're home now. And not a moment too soon. Look at you! I'm going to have to work on fattening you up before I send you out into the world," I told him, and he smiled just a bit. "People are going to mistake you for a bean pole."

"Or Dorothy's Scarecrow," he jested, and I smiled.

"Believe me, I doubt you need a brain," I assured him, even if I thought he could have used it better this summer. "C'mon, I'm sure everyone wants to say hello."

Aries nodded and followed me over to where everyone was still greeting Pony. Two-Bit caught sight of Aries, and beamed.

"Well, if it isn't Count Dracula returned from the big city."

"Hey, Hobbit," Aries replied, accepting the hair ruffles, and back slaps in greeting from the boys.

I watched, amazed at how different things were now from what they were four years ago. Then, Aries would have ducked under the arms, shyly backed away from the affection, and found some way to distance everyone with a very analytical comment. Now he was smiling, returning the joking comments, and shoving the boys back when they got rough with him. God, he was growing up.

Darry slipped an arm around my waist, as Steve threw an arm around Pony's shoulders, making him hunch down to Steve's height. Pony had hit a growth spurt that made everyone around him, except for Darry, look short. I tried to think of this as a positive thing – now every time I needed something off the top shelf, I knew who I was going to call. Aries, on the other hand, was maybe 5'10 – short for our family.

"Ok, we got the kids, and we got grub waiting on us at home. Can we go now?" Two-Bit asked and I shook my head.

Some things never changed.

When we got the boys home, Sevrin had the house tidy, but absolutely covered in decorations from every random holiday you could think of. I frowned, wondering where she had found them all. The dog must have been outside, but we could hear him yelping and whining because he knew someone was at the house. Dallas was cursing after him, and Sevrin was loudly informing her husband that he was going to ruin the surprise. Darry shook his head while Pony and Aries smiled, dropping their bags in the entryway. I frowned. They had been spending far too much time with West.

"I don't think so," I chided.

Both boys immediately picked up their bags, and headed for the stairs. Now, that was much better.

"Wow, Layne," Two-Bit commented, looking like he was a little surprised. "The boys are gone for months, and months, and months, and they can't even catch a break when they walk in the door."

I glanced at Two-Bit, wondering what he was going on about. If we let them 'catch a break' it would be utter chaos around here. That was why Two-Bit got policed more than anyone else.

"Pick your battles," Darry advised him with a friendly pat to the shoulder as he passed.

"It was not that long," I informed Two-Bit before he could follow Darry.

_Even though it felt that long…_

"Hey, I know that. I missed 'em, too." He smiled gently, patting my arm as he did follow Darry.

I sighed. Now, if it was going to be this hard with them gone to New York for a few weeks, it was going to be that much harder to have them gone for the entire school year…

With the boys upstairs, I went to the kitchen window and peered out at the backyard. The entire yard looked amazing. Darry had mowed the grass and trimmed the bushes, making everything look crisp and clean. Soda and Steve had painted the fence, and the deck – which was newly completed. Sevrin had paper lanterns and streamers tastefully hanging from the edges of the deck rails, while the table had a cloth on it, and was covered in dishes. Dallas was sitting at the table with the dog's collar – still around the dog's neck – in one hand, and a beer in the other while Charlie was sitting beside him, using his knee as a race track for his toy car. Soda, Steve, Two-Bit, and Darry were already outside and helping to arrange the food. Or rather, Soda and Darry were helping, while Steve was picking at the food, and Two-Bit sounded like he was complaining about something.

I shook my head, and went to the fridge, pulling out the potato salad. It seemed like they always forgot the potato salad. To be fair, I spent years cooking terrible potato salad, and the boys were justified in hiding it away in the house. Mike had taught me well, though, and it wasn't half bad now. In fact, it was easy when you didn't mix the ingredients when they were hot.

I carried it out onto the back deck, Sevrin grinning at me like mad.

"They're going to be SO surprised!" She gushed, looking behind me. "Where are they?"

"Throwing their laundry into the bin, probably," I replied, setting the potato salad down, and running my hand over Choc's head when he whined.

"Well, that's nice," Sevrin offered. "Wish some people would learn where the laundry basket is."

I watched Dallas tighten his lips a little, not replying to that.

"It helps when you have a Darry," I said, offering Dallas a shrug.

"They better get down here before she pops a fucking screw." Dallas gestured at Sevrin who only glared at him briefly.

I ignored him, hoping that Dallas and Sevrin could get along for one night. The boys would want to turn right around and straight back to New York if they started in with that.

"Oh! Here they come!" Sevrin hissed. "Everyone be quiet."

I had to grin when Charlie pushed a finger to his lips and shushed his father, and then Steve. Steve only rolled his eyes. He had little patience for the little boy who strongly favored his mother in looks. His blue eyes were a match to his father's, though.

"Surprise!" Sevrin yelped when the boys finally stepped out onto the deck.

"Prise!" Charlie threw in loudly.

"Well, that was a great group effort," Sevrin offered, giving all of us a disgusted look.

Dallas snorted in agreement. It was one of those rare moments where I could see why they were married. Sevrin had picked up a lot of Dallas's attitudes over the years, where Dallas had been more at peace than I could have imagined him before Charlie was born. I just wished he would cut back on the language. It was a miracle that Charlie's first words hadn't been swears.

For their parts, the boys tried to look surprised. I honestly think they were when the noticed that the deck was brand new.

"We go away, and look what you do to the place," Pony offered.

"We had to do something to keep busy," Soda replied with a smile.

"Choc," Aries greeted, seeing the mutt tugging at his collar in excitement.

"Here, have him," Dallas declared, letting go of the dog. "Damn mutt."

Choc pranced, and whined at the boys' feet, demanding attention from them. Aries dropped to one knee, scratching at his neck and chest. Pony let the dog lean against his leg, scratching at the floppy ears.

"The dog?" Sevrin huffed. "You two…come on over here and give me a hug!"

Aries got to his feet, letting Sevrin hold him tight. Sevrin frowned at him.

"You got thinner? How was that even possible? Pony, come let me hug you, too," she ordered.

Pony was next, receiving a frown, as well.

"You're thicker, if anything. Did you steal all his food?" She accused.

Pony opened his mouth to protest, but Dallas spoke for him. "Sev, leave it alone. Layne's probably said something about it already."

Sev looked like she was going to start something with Dallas, when Charlie walked over to Pony and held his arms up.

"Pony!" He greeted loudly.

Pony scooped up the little boy and tossed him into the air, squeals of laugher filling the yard.

Aries watched for a moment, before looking around the group, and making his way over to where Darry was standing at the barbeque with Two-Bit. I smiled a little. Darry had terribly intimidated my brother when they first met. Now, they didn't seem to mind each other's company. Darry even went as far as to squeeze his shoulder, and offer him the flipper, making Aries really smile for the first time since he had gotten home.

"You alright?" Soda asked softly, coming to stand beside me at the table.

"Yeah," I replied, straightening some of the dishes on the table. "I'm just happy to have everyone together again, you know?"

Soda nodded. "Yeah, I know."

I offered Soda a smile. He had missed the boys just as much as I had.

"Hey, this potato salad isn't half bad," Steve offered and Sevrin leaned over to taste it herself.

"Not half bad at all," she threw in with a playful smile.

"Say what you will, I have always liked my potato salad."

Sevrin shook her long blonde curls, clearing a space on the table for the plate of burger patties Two-Bit was carrying from the barbeque.

"Get 'em while they're hot," he advised. "Hey, Count Dracula! Put down that flipper and come get some meat on your bones!"

Aries waved him off and Two-Bit dug in beside Steve. Both were eating with fervor and I could only watch and wonder where they managed to put it all.

"Sit down, Layne," Dallas ordered, motioning to the seat beside him.

I did sit, leaning my elbows on the table and smiling contentedly as I heard both Pony and Charlie laugh on the grass. Now this was the kind of noise the house should always have. It was what made it…home.

* * *

Any comments are welcome and flames are accepted.

See ya in the funny papers!

Tens


	4. Everything Works Out Eventually

Well, hadn't planned on updating this, but hey.

For Davey. Just because your momma loves you :p

Disclaimer: The usual

Chapter 4

Another day at the Dingo

/Layne's POV/

Working the day shift at the Dingo had what you would call...perks. Seeing as how the big rushes were at lunch and dinner, the rest of the day was very slow, and very boring, which meant that the staff could do almost anything they wanted to pass the time. For the most part, we all brought things to do, but I always found it to be a waste of time. It wasn't so bad during the summer, seeing as how the school kids were always popping in with classes out, but today the weather couldn't make up its mind. It was both hot and raining and no one seemed to want to go out in it.

It wasn't so calm inside, either. It seemed like days like these just brought out the worst in the staff. Mainly, Sevrin Winston. She'd been snappish and irritable lately, which definitely reflected how much she had been fighting with Dallas. It was a wonder Charlie was as happy and light hearted as he was with that going on right down the hall.

As much as I usually thrived on her company, today I would have rather had her anywhere else.

"Hal, I swear to God, if you don't get that order for table three on the grill in the next two seconds, I am going to beat you with a stick!" She yelled, letting the galley door swing shut behind her with an audible 'bang'.

This was just one of the many moments she had today. Hal was her whipping board, for the most part, and I didn't think the guy's nerves could take much more.

"I got it going, Sevy!" Hal hollered back.

Sevrin stiffened, turning right back towards the door, and pushing it open again.

"Do NOT call me that," she snapped, and Hal banged something together at her words, like he was trying to either drown her out or hide behind the noise.

I glanced down at where Lou, Sam, and Pete were waiting for their third refill on coffee. Lou had a wince on his face from the shrill tone and I sighed, filling the cups before I started towards her.

"Sevrin," I called, earning a glare. I met it with a raised eyebrow and waited.

"It's not my fault he's way behind," she defended.

"Exactly," I replied calmly.

"But it is my problem," Sevrin replied like that was obvious.

"Sevrin, seriously?" I sighed, thinking that the weather was really getting to me, too, if I was standing here and entertaining this. "It'll come when it comes."

Getting angry, especially when it was with Hal, never got you anywhere around here. Sevrin sent me a rather pissy look before walking back into the kitchen, again. Kathie came out a moment later with a couple plates of food and offered me a shrug.

"Apparently she's on break," Kathie offered. "Poor dear needs to get over herself."

I smiled a little. Pregnant again, Kathie had a perspective on Sevrin that could only come with having a nearly five year old son and sore feet. At four months, the August heat was worse on her than usual, but she never lost her kind disposition. I did feel bad that she had to work long days in this place. But I was glad she was here. Four years ago when Sevrin had been off with baby Charlie, and Kathie still wasn't back from having baby Tyler, Josie and I had worked our tails off trying to keep this place going. Believe me, I much preferred the tension over the dead tired feeling I had at the end of the day.

It would have been alright, had Chris hired anyone new, but he was less than sympathetic about pregnancy. Men. They just didn't get it until they'd had kids of their own, like Darry. Darry was very sympathetic towards Sevrin, especially with how loud and obnoxious she was when she was pregnant with Charlie. It was good, especially since we would have our own family some day, and remembering my own mother, I knew there was a possibility I could be worse behaved than Sevrin.

"So, how are the boys?" Kathie asked.

"Well, Aries looks like he didn't eat for a month, and Pony looks so grown up."

I still wasn't impressed with how thin Aries had gotten, but Ponyboy was the shocker. He was taller, more defined, and he looked like he was a man. I hadn't expected that. Maybe he had grown up a long time ago, but I had never noticed. Aries, though, he still looked sixteen and young. Maybe it was because he clearly needed some mothering while he was gone. I just hoped College would do for him what a few weeks away had done to Pony.

"They're not little boys anymore," Kathie offered.

"I guess not."

"Now that they are all grown up and leaving home, have you and Darry started thinking about marriage?"

I glanced up at Kathie sharply. She and Todd were like Sevrin and Dallas – married because there was a baby on the way. However, Kathie and Todd were very much still in wedded bliss, thus baby number two was on the way. However, like every other married friend of ours, she was starting to prod about our personal life. Everyone figured that we'd been living together for four years and that with the boys grown up, we should make everything official. I loved Darry, but I just wasn't sure if he was ready. He'd given up college for Soda and Pony, but now that they were both going to be out of the house, maybe he could finally get some time to take classes at night or by mail. As for me, I was happy just to have what we did.

"We are practically married," I pointed out.

"Not on paper," Kathie pointed out.

Paper. I was really starting to hate how much society relied on paper. Money, property, intelligence, family, marriage...Paper caused too many problems.

Sevrin chose right then to come back in, still looking like she was going to hit someone, but at least she seemed like she could fend off the urge now. Her hair was tied back and she looked like she was ready to face everything.

"I need to get rich," she declared, walking past us so she could tend to her new customers.

That was Sevrin's big thing lately. Instead of reminiscing about her past with the rich family she had been raised in, she wanted to get back to that point. Being married to Dallas, I doubted that would ever happen. He was not impressed with money, and he loathed trying to be something he wasn't. Dallas wouldn't be able to live with money. It would change things too much. Dallas wasn't a big fan of change. But he was even less a fan of Sevrin being overly pleased with something she didn't deserve. Like I said before, Sevrin was good for Dallas, but Dallas was also very good for Sevrin.

"Not in this job," I told her. "But I hear there is good money in stripping."

Sevrin sent me a look, and I knew if I hadn't have been her best friend, she would have killed me. After living with Dallas for four years, she could more than hold her own.

"I hear there's a lot of money in decorating, too," Sevrin sniped back.

"If you can call your arrangements decorating," Kathie offered with a shrug, disappearing into the kitchen.

"You know, I can't wait until she pops that monster out," Sevrin growled. "Then I can really pop her one."

"I'm sure she's pretty sick of it, too," I told her.

"Yeah, well, that makes all of us."

Sevrin went over to the window, grabbing the order Reese was just about to chime up. She marched past me and made her way over to a far table. I sighed, wondering if something was going to be thrown by the end of the day, before grabbing a fresh pot of coffee.

Even in this heat, there were three people who drank only coffee all day. Lou, Pete, and Sam were sitting in their usual booth, coffee cups waiting to be refilled. I carefully poured out three cups before Lou nudged a fourth at me.

"Come sit down," Lou ordered and I did, leaning back into the vinyl booth beside him.

"I swear, this place has the chattiest, most dramatic staff in the entire city," Sam commented dryly.

"Why do you think we keep coming back here?" Pete offered, making the other two nod.

"Thing's will slow up once Kathie has her kid and Sevrin makes up with her husband," I offered, taking a sip from my cup.

"Marriage that young is hard," Lou offered.

I glanced at Lou out of the corner of my eye. He was in his thirties, Pete and Sam, too. They sat in here like old men, day in and day out, like they had no cares or ties in the world. I knew that they were partners in some oil business, and it was profitable enough so that they could be here every day. They talked business most of the day, and I wondered if this was their office. If that was the case, they were geniuses. No rent and plenty of food on hand, plus company.

"You sound like you're sixty," I commented, taking another sip from my cup.

"Some days, my wife makes me feel that way," Pete offered and Sam hummed in agreement.

"Your wife is a blood sucking bat," Sam stated.

"Would explain a lot," Pete conceded.

Lou kept quiet. I had learned over the years that he was divorced with three kids. I didn't know why he was divorced, or why he was still single, either. You could tell a lot about a man by how well he treated his mother and his waitress. I had never met his mother, but I knew he was more than good to his waitress. He was attractive, kind, and had money. I suppose that there were just some hurts you didn't get over in life.

"Keep that in mind, Layne," Sam offered.

"When are you getting married, again?" Pete asked and I felt like sighing.

You knew it was a long day when Pete, of all people, started to gossip about my love life.

"You'll be one of the first to know," I assured him.

As it was, I had been asked about marriage a couple more times before I walked in the door that evening. I was really getting put off the whole subject. What would they do if I never married? They'd have nothing to gossip about, then.

Choc greeted me when I came through the front door at five thirty. I was a bit early, but I wasn't complaining. The dog normally barked his fool head off when anyone came in, but he had obviously been deeply asleep with how he was yawning and shaking out his limbs when I walked in. I ruffled his ears and tossed my jacket over the back of the couch before making my way into the kitchen.

Darry was at the stove, stirring something, with Pony and Aries on either side of him. I smiled a little at the sight, everything from the day just melting away.

"You're early," Aries offered, causing the other two to glance my way.

"It smells like I'm just in time," I told him.

"It'll be a few minutes. You should set the table."

I glanced at Ponyboy. He was blushing a little, and I shook my head with a grin. Yeah, he was really growing up.

"Yes, sir," I replied, moving to the cupboard for some dishes.

By the time I had them set out, the boys were moving everything from pots and pans into bowls so we could eat everything at the table. I sat down between Darry and Ponyboy, glancing across the food laden table at Aries. They were all looking pleased with themselves for the most mismatched meal I had ever seen. And that was saying something after living with Soda for as long as I had.

The table had fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and green beans on one end. At the other was pasta, a green salad, and a plate of cheese and mustard. Clearly, Darry had let the boys pick, and they had clearly both had very different opinions about dinner.

"Well, this is a very interesting looking meal," I pointed out, glancing at the smiling faces of Pony and Aries.

"The boys have some news," Darry offered, scooping green beans onto his plate.

"I got hired back at the drug store," Pony offered, piling mashed potatoes on his plate.

"That's wonderful," I told him, thinking he would appreciate some money for when he was away at school.

"Aries?" Darry prodded.

Aries shrugged, passing me a bowl full of fettuccini. "I got a job, too."

"That's wonderful," I offered. "Where did you get a job?"

Aries stared at his plate for a long moment before answering. "The Country Club."

I blinked. That wasn't so bad. But the look on his face plainly said it was. I knew exactly what was bothering him about that. He was Greaser. They were Socs. Not to mention how our friends would tease him about this. They could be quite merciless when they wanted to. It was going to be a hard summer for him.

"That sounds like a good paying job," I told him, trying to coax some of the anxiety from him. My brother was miserable to be around when he moped like this. "Lots of tips."

"Yeah," Aries offered in reply.

"Give it a chance. If you don't like it, I am sure we can find something else," Darry offered diplomatically.

Darry knew better than anyone – except perhaps Sevrin – that you didn't always like your job. That was why it was called work, instead of fun. Aries should have been used to that, too. He had been a dishwasher at the Dingo for his first job, then he had tried his hand at making sandwiches at the Deli, and finally he had worked as a landscaper last summer. The Deli had probably been the worst job, as Two-Bit had come by almost every day making the oddest and most complex sandwich requests he could manage to think up.

About the only job Aries ever liked to do was tutor during the year. He had branched out to accept college students, claiming he liked the challenge. I just hoped actual college was a challenge for him. I hated to think what would happen if he was bored there.

I frowned a bit, chewing thoughtfully on a mouthful of pasta. College. He needed to make a decision about that or he wouldn't be going this year. And worse than having him bored at college would be having him bored here. Still, I wasn't going to push. It was his decision, and I couldn't make it for him. Darry, however, was another story completely. He was more excited for them to go to college than they were. If he didn't get it together soon, Darry was going to have a serious chat with him about what life was like when you didn't get the chance to go to school.

I just shook my head and went back to my meal. There was no chance that this was going to get solved tonight.

It was a few minutes later that the door opened, and Two-Bit sauntered into the kitchen. He beamed when he saw us all.

"Well, it looks like I picked a good time to stop by," he pointed out.

"Hey, Two-Bit. Go grab a plate," Pony invited.

"Don't mind if I do, kid."

Two-Bit grabbed a plate and plunked himself down between Pony and Aries. He took one look at what was for dinner and chuckled.

"Man, I love dinner here," he finally offered, shaking his head, and piling his plate high with chicken and pasta.

"We aim to please," Darry replied, passing the potatoes down because we all knew Two-Bit was a mashed potato nut.

"So, Curtis Clan – fill me in on the latest gossip."

Aries looked back at his plate, Darry sent Aries a long look, and Ponyboy shrugged a little.

"What's to tell? Same old around here," Pony offered. "How about you? You do anything interesting today?"

"Nothing I think is proper dinner conversation," Two-Bit replied with a wink.

"Layne, you want anything else?"

I glanced over at Darry, only then noticing my plate was empty. That just went to show how engrossing conversations around here could be.

"I'm alright, thanks," I told him, picking up my plate and the empty bowl of green beans. "I suppose Two-Bit and I are on dishes tonight."

"Nah, Aries and I'll do it," Pony offered, getting up to take the dishes from me, even though he still had food on his plate.

Aries stood as well, picking up his own abandoned dinner. Two-Bit sent the pair of them a look – raised eyebrow and all. Darry just shrugged in return, working on his own dinner.

"Well, more for me," he finally stated.

I shook my head and watched as Aries set his dinner on the floor for the dog to finish, and Pony ate the last few bites from his plate while he leaned over the sink. No one could claim that they weren't unique.

"So, Dracula decide on a school yet?" Two-Bit asked around a mouthful of chicken.

"Not that he's told us," Darry offered.

"Man, for a kid that smart, it should have been easy."

I frowned a bit. Leave it to Two-Bit to point out the things that were worrying me the most.

"It'll all turn out," Darry told him.

I nodded. It would eventually all turn out. Everything always did in this house, especially when Darry said it would.

* * *

Another chapter down, haha. Believe it or not, I found the plan for this one! Yes, it survived the epic coffee spill of '10. So expect more of this in the future!

Any comments are welcome and flames accepted.

See ya in the funny papers!

Tens


	5. Friends Like These

Well, it has been a while for this one. I do apologise. It's been a crazy year with all the school things I have been doing, and I've been pretty sick lately, on top of trying to move! Yes, relocating sucks. My gorgeous mountain view will have to make up for it!

I am working on new chapters for The River King, Different View, and Half as Much, so hopefully those are up soon and everyone enjoys!

Disclaimer: The usual

Chapter 6: Friends Like These

/Steve's POV/

Since I had been old enough to have a full time job, I had learned to enjoy any day I had off, especially during the summer months. I don't think Two-Bit understood that, or maybe he just didn't care if he was tugging me out of bed before ten on my day off. It irked me that he just wanted to "hang out". We could have hung out later and did nothing together then. My theory was that he spent so much time bouncing between jobs that he just didn't remember what a day off was supposed to look like. So far this summer, he'd been employed at the hardware store, the Diary Queen, and finally out at Bell's. The way I had it figured, he's had more time off this summer than I'd gotten in a few years.

But this sudden push to start the day and have fun wasn't just out of nowhere. The kids had been home for a week, and they had both been working for a couple days now. Two-Bit, who was still the biggest kid of all, was missing their company. It happened every year. The kids would get jobs, Two-Bit would get bored, and he'd take out his boredom on everyone else. This year was worse, what with the kids in New York for a month, then for them to find a job before Two-Bit was situated was hard on the old guy.

And that was a big part of why he picked today's adventure. I liked the idea behind it; don't get me wrong, I just didn't want to end up sitting beside him in the cooler, especially on my day off.

It was almost noon when we walked into the swanky dining room of the local country club. The tables all had fancy green linen on them, and the glasses all had golden rims. The floral arrangements were even fancy white and gold flowers. I didn't think that putting flowers together could ever look that rich, but I guess you learned something different every day. I took Two-Bit's cue and sat down across from him at one of the tables close to the windows. I looked around warily, not seeing anyone, but that could change fast. Once it did, we were going to be in a lot of trouble.

But it would be worth it if we saw what we'd came to see.

A waiter was wandering around, making sure that all the pristine tables were still perfect. He was hard to miss with his bleached white shirt, black vest, and a tie that matched the tablecloths. What made him really hard to miss was the look of pure shock on his face when he caught sight of us.

Two-Bit grinned and I returned it. Now, this was better than I had hoped.

"What are you doing here?" Aries hissed, looking around to make sure that we were still the only ones in the dining room. "The club members will be in for lunch in less than ten minutes!"

"The service around here is very quick, huh Stevie?" Two-Bit commented lightly.

"Pretty good," I agreed. "And don't call me Stevie."

"What are you doing here?" Aries asked again, eyes pleading with us to go.

"Why, you said it yourself – it's lunchtime," Two-Bit replied with an innocent look that rivalled Jackie Morrison's from back in high school. That girl could convince you she was surprised we were breathing air.

"Well, as you can see, I am working," Aries pointed out. "This is not a good time for a lunch break."

"Well, we'll just have to dine without you." Two-Bit shrugged, opening up the menu. "What's good here?"

"A burger – over at the Dingo. It's on me," Aries pleaded, looking over to me. "Please, Steve?"

"Don't look at me. I spent the whole drive over here trying to convince him that this was insane," I told him, opening up my own menu. "You're on your own, genius."

"I think I am peckish for a peasant," Two-Bit declared with a flourish. "Leave it to the upper crust to turn into a bunch of cannibals."

"Don't say stuff like that!" Aries pleaded. "It's Pheasant, not peasant. Do you even know what that is?"

"Expensive?" I chanced.

It had to be. Nothing on the menu had prices beside it. When there were no prices, it was because you were so rich that you didn't have to ask how much things cost. You just ordered and ate whatever and didn't even blink at the bill. We definitely were not in that boat.

"I am trying something new. Does it come with fries, or is that a substitution?" Two-Bit asked, looking as serious as I had ever seen him.

"This has to be a record. Two days and I am going to get fired," Aries groaned.

I smirked at the look of agony on the kid's face. It wasn't often that anyone could pull one over on him. He was normally too clever to let things like this happen to himself.

"They won't fire you," Two-Bit dismissed. "They'll probably lecture you about rif-raf, social status, and the like."

"After they kick us out," I added.

"Good point. You'd better order before they get wise." Two-Bit nodded.

Aries groaned again, turning away from the table.

"Hey! What about my order?" I called after him.

"Pheasant for both of you with sides of fries!" Aries called back, looking very annoyed.

"And extra ketchup!" I hollered.

"Bring the bottle!" Two-Bit added.

I started to chuckle and Two-Bit burst out into loud howls. Oh, this was too good.

"I think that we'll be dining here more often," Two-Bit declared, wiping tears of mirth from his eyes.

"And next time, we bring Soda," I started to wipe away my own tears.

We were left to sit for a few minutes before Aries came back. But he wasn't alone. The snooty guy leading the way had to be the manager or something. He looked less than impressed when he saw us. I glanced at Two-Bit, sharing a huge grin with him.

"Gentlemen, I am afraid this is a members' only establishment!" he declared in an even snootier voice than I had expected. I was biting my lip to keep from laughing.

"It is, indeed!" Two-Bit didn't miss a beat. "That's why I would like to speak to your manager."

"I am the manager," the man replied, looking ruffled that we had assumed otherwise.

"Good, then I'll ask you. I see here that you have peasants on your menu, and I'm just curious – who exactly are these poor people?"

The manager gaped for a moment, his mouth moving like a fish just yanked out of water. Aries was three shades of red behind him, a hand covering his face, like he could hide from all this without physically leaving. As for Two-Bit, he had his hands folded on the table, eyebrow poised, serious expression on his face like he was waiting for a serious answer.

"Excuse me?" The manager finally sputtered.

"You heard me. Do you have the cook drive around looking for hobos, or do you just throw in anyone who makes the place look less than picturesque?"

'_Picturesque'_?I had no idea where he'd learned a word like that. He really did spend too much time with the kids.

"We do not serve people here!" The Manager looked like his head was about to explode at the thought.

"No, you serve cannibals. I don't think they're really people once they willingly sit down to a Timmy T-Bone."

I was trying not to laugh, but this was hilarious. Small sputters were making it out, but the guy didn't have eyes for me – he was too busy trying to figure out what he was going to do with Two-Bit. From the looks of things, he was about to _be _the next Timmy steak.

"Two-Bit," I finally managed. "If that's true, we're gonna end up on the menu."

Two-Bit sent me a grin, his face morphing into one of mock horror. "We'll be Socy dinner, Stevie!"

We both glanced at the manager was making, and it looked like he was about to either unhinge his jaw or have a stroke. Even though we could have kept pushing, we both knew the signs right before someone hollered for the cops.

"Well, we hate to eat and run," I started.

"But we really hate to be eaten and not able to run," Two-Bit finished.

We both darted up right then, dashing around the manager and an embarrassed looking Aries, running like our lives depended on it. Two-Bit was laughing madly as we burst out into the fresh air and darted for the parking lot. We were both up and over the back fence, easily scaling it with all the gymnastics Darry'd taught us years ago. We both huffed for air when we leaned back against Two-Bit's car. Once we could breathe, the laughter came back, and we both just howled. God, it was good to have a little fun for a change. It was just too bad that Soda was running the shop today – he really would have gotten a kick out of that.

"Well," I finally managed. "That was great!"

"Wait until you see what I do for an encore," Two-Bit panted, opening up his door.

"Encore?" I asked, climbing into the car, too.

"In an hour, we dress up as circus clowns and go bug little Curtis."

I laughed. "And where do we get the costumes?"

"That's why I gave us an hour. Shouldn't be too difficult." He shrugged.

"Man, am I ever glad that you come to the garage as yourself," I chuckled.

"Never expect the expected," Two-Bit chirped happily.

Especially when it was Two-Bit you were expecting it from.

/Pony's POV/

When I walked in the door at four thirty, my feet hurt, I was hungry, and I felt drained. I wasn't all that surprised when I spotted Aries sitting on the couch, looking like he felt about the same. His tie was loose, his vest was unbuttoned, and he was leaning with his head in his hands as he sat on the couch in the quiet living room.

"Rough day?" I chanced, flopping down beside him on the couch.

"Horrendous. Yours?" he replied, sounding wiped.

"Worse than yours," I told him, earning a huffed chuckle that was more exasperated than amused.

"Alright. Let's play that game."

"Well, inventory all morning."

"Poor baby," Aries commented dryly, not meeting his usual sarcasm because he was so worn out.

"Not everyone likes counting boxes and making monthly orders up," I reminded him. "But that was the fun part of my day, believe it or not. Right after lunch...I don't know what gets into those two."

Aries looked at me, his chin resting on the palm of his hand now. "Those two?"

"Two-Bit and Steve showed up in gorilla costumes and made a mess of the place," I sighed, thinking about how I'd only been able to tell it was them because of the way Two-Bit was laughing. "My boss chased them around for a solid ten minutes before he got them out. I spent the afternoon cleaning up after that."

"At least they wore masks when they came to see you. They nearly made my boss have a brain aneurism before tearing out of the club like...a pair of gorillas." Aries shrugged a little then. "My whole afternoon was spent going over protocol and polishing silverware."

"Good thing they're our friends," I sighed and Aries nodded in agreement. "And good thing we're both out of here in September.'

Aries hummed in agreement, and I gave him a prodding look. He returned it with a tired one that asked me to drop it before I even started. He was my friend, practically another brother to me, but I was getting tired of keeping this secret for him.

"When are you going to tell Darry and Layne what you decided?" I asked.

"I have been pondering the possibility of sending them a post card when I am safely away from Oklahoma."

If that was his idea of a joke, it wasn't funny. I gave him a hard look then. Darry would be madder than hell if he did that. And Layne would be upset beyond measure. He sighed to himself because he knew that just as well as I did.

"August. A couple weeks before I leave," he finally stated.

"You better follow through on that," I warned him.

Aries hummed in a non-committal fashion, pulling his tie off. "I thought it would be wise to do it after your birthday."

"Why?" I asked, frowning.

"Because Darry and Layne are looking forward to it. I don't want that to change."

I shook my head, wondering what he was on about. He was the kinda guy who wasn't all that great at talking about just one thing. Everything flowed into the other fifty things going on in his head. Following a conversation with him needed more thinking than I was willing to do right then.

"I don't think that would change," I told him.

I knew for a fact Layne and Darry were planning a party. It was my eighteenth, and it was a big one. Aries had spent his in New York, and his brothers had thrown a party like nothing else I had ever been to. I wasn't expecting anything that...wild from Darry and Layne, but I didn't want that. I wanted my family and friends together, having a good time. Once September came, a lot would change. Aries had a point about things changing, but I doubted it would affect how Darry and Layne felt about my birthday.

Aries sent me a look I had gotten used to over the years. It was that look that said he was disappointed I wasn't following the conversation the same way that he was. I was more than used to it. The best way around it was to shift the discussion to something else along the same lines, but less uncomfortable for me.

"Speaking of my birthday, don't tell me what you got me this year."

Aries frowned. He hated having to wait for his birthday to find out what he was getting. He didn't think anyone else should have to wait, either. He was terrible for telling people what he got them weeks before he gave them what he had bought. The rest of us hated that, thought it was a tease or something. So none of us ever told him what he was getting. He never seemed to catch on.

"I haven't gotten you anything yet," Aries huffed.

"When you do, don't tell me."

"I'll manage to refrain."

I felt like laughing. "No you won't."

"You're right – I won't." He smirked a bit and I did laugh then.

"Well, you two must have had a good day," Darry commented, walking into the house.

We both glanced up. Darry he made it a habit to walk Choc immediately after he got home from work. Aries took one look at the string of drool hanging from the dog's mouth and darted up the stairs. Darry looked confused as he let the dog off his leash. I just shook my head.

"Do I want to know?" Darry asked.

"It might ruin all the dinner conversation he'll be up for."

Darry nodded, watching as Choc wiped his mouth on my jeans. I didn't let it bother me – not after four years. Aries, on the other hand, had his boss flip out today. I imagine he would be really upset if the dog got drool on his uniform.

And I knew come September, I was going to miss all of this, dog drool and all.

* * *

Well, one more down! And I have the next chapter started, so hopefully it will be another update soon!

Any comments are welcome and flames accepted.

See ya in the funny papers!

Tens


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